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Waiting

The waiting is the hardest part of this ordeal. In the beginning, we held onto the hope that Adult Social Care or the police would respond swiftly – within days – to the alarming situation we reported. We believed they would immediately recognise the gravity of what we were describing: the predatory removal and isolation of our daughter. But as time passed, reality set in. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Now, nearly fifteen months have gone by since we last saw Lizzie. She has not returned home – not once – since she was taken away by Coral in a covert operation on July 21st 2023. We have not heard a single word from her in months.

I often find myself thinking about the Madeleine McCann case. Though the circumstances are clearly different, I imagine her parents also assumed there would be swift action and immediate updates. Instead, as time wore on, the intervals between developments grew longer and longer. The authorities seem to lack any sense of urgency – because Lizzie is not their child. If she were, I have no doubt they would have acted much more decisively. Their position is clear: they do not intend to do anything.

Podcast

This week, I received an email from a business contact who had just listened to the full podcast series for the first time. Her reaction was one of sheer disbelief:

“I am absolutely gobsmacked. I can’t believe this has been allowed to happen. It is extremely disturbing. I can’t get my head around it.“

She then asked a perfectly reasonable question: “Will Gary and any of the other useless people involved be held accountable?“

I sincerely hope so. The way Jane and I have been treated has been nothing short of disgraceful. But it’s not just us – our entire circle of family and friends shares in this daily anguish. And above all, it is Lizzie who suffers the most. I maintain that this amounts to negligence.

Linkage College

The internal investigation is still ongoing, with a conclusion expected by the end of the month. My concern is that it will amount to little more than an exercise in reputational damage control, rather than a genuine effort to safeguard a vulnerable individual. We shall soon find out.

Letters of Support

The letters are coming in steadily. Today, I delivered another batch to the constituency office of Melanie Onn MP, each one a testament to Lizzie’s innocent, good-humoured nature and her vulnerabilities stemming from her FASD diagnosis.

One person captured the situation perfectly:
“Lizzie was a true innocent with a form of learning difficulties not widely known about, therefore is very young for her age. Lizzie loved her family and church family and friends without fault. It is extremely out of character for Lizzie to just up-sticks and leave her family home, never to return to cut herself off from everyone she held close is unthinkable.“

I submitted my own letter in this week’s batch.
“I have said this before, and I will say it again: I am Lizzie’s dad. That unbreakable bond, that indescribable love, is what has given me the strength to keep pushing forward, seeking answers, demanding accountability and refusing to remain silent.
I am simply a father who watched his vulnerable daughter being taken away the day after she turned eighteen, and who has endured a year and a half of relentless trauma, made all the worse by the deliberate refusal of the agencies to engage with us or take our concerns seriously.“

These letters stand as undeniable proof of Lizzie’s deep connections to those who love her and the absolute lack of justification for Coral’s actions in removing her and severing her from her support network.

To those who knew and loved Lizzie: if you can, please write about the person you knew; her warmth, her kindness, her connection to her family and friends. Your words matter.

If you can send your letters to me by the end of March, I will personally deliver them to Melanie Onn’s office.

Thank you for your support.

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Thank you for reading. If you have any insights, comments or advice, please feel free to add them below.